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Not My Favourite Task
It occurred to me this morning lying under my 99.9% completed Roadster that I thoroughly enjoyed building the car but some tasks were not my favorite. I figured I would start a thread asking others to share what they were not fond of.
For me it was lining the wheel wells with HD Foam rubber to protect the paint from rock chips. Everything is overhead fit..cut, fit cut..fit cut, up down up down up down a hundred times. Spray glue; keep off the new paint job, keep it off me. Reach up into the wheel well & hold in place while the arms scream. I would install the engine & tranny 3 times over or install all the carpeting again rather than apply the wheel well stone protection. Makes Alex's wheel well guards a real bargain.
wheelwell1.jpg
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Senior Member
Just my opinion, but many many of us have used truck bed liner to accomplish the same task. There are two things I don't like about the way you are doing it. 1. How is that stuff for water incursion? If it holds any water at all, especially around the edges, it is going to gain weight and could grow mold. 2. If a piece of that comes off at speed, it could either wrap up in your suspension causing damage or a wreck, or sling around and blow a fender right off the car, just like a tire losing its tread.
Spay glue just isn't that good with all the vibration, heat, cold and water. It is OK for holding carpet down, not gluing something to the ceiling. You will end up in the rain some day, no matter what you plan.
I feel bad saying it, but I think this is a bad idea.
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Senior Member
After the couple hundredth hole I drilled for rivets that got pretty old.
That time I was laying down a large piece of stick on sound insulation behind the seats...I needed a 3rd hand, decided to hold the edge in my mouth...proceeded to rip all the skin of my lip! That was not real fun.
Sorry to pile on but I have to agree with Avalanche. Look at the bright side though, if you decide to scrap them you will have really upped the ante on this thread by throwing away the part you hated the most!
MK4 #8900 - complete kit - Coyote, TKO600, IRS - Delivered 6/28/16 First Start 10/6/16 Go cart - 10/16/16 Build completed - 4/26/17 - 302 days to build my 302 CI Coyote Cobra - Registered and street legal 5/17/17
Build Thread
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...e-build-thread
PHIL 4:13 INSTAGRAM - @scottsrides
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Originally Posted by
Avalanche325
Just my opinion, but many many of us have used truck bed liner to accomplish the same task. There are two things I don't like about the way you are doing it. 1. How is that stuff for water incursion? If it holds any water at all, especially around the edges, it is going to gain weight and could grow mold. 2. If a piece of that comes off at speed, it could either wrap up in your suspension causing damage or a wreck, or sling around and blow a fender right off the car, just like a tire losing its tread.
Spay glue just isn't that good with all the vibration, heat, cold and water. It is OK for holding carpet down, not gluing something to the ceiling. You will end up in the rain some day, no matter what you plan.
I feel bad saying it, but I think this is a bad idea.
If it comes off at speed it will just shred. There is zero chance of it causing a wreck or "blowing a fender off." All the edges are sealed and glued down with silicone, the surface is impervious to water. I saw that a number of people have used this material without issue. After watching a test review of all the bedliner products they appear to have very little impact protection (do a youtube search) so I didn't trust them doing the job of protecting the u/s from rocks. The material I used is 1/2" thick and when restrained at the edges its wedged in place I don't see it coming off. Once the glue cures its pretty tough. I haven't heard of carpet peeling off and it is exposed to direct sunlight. Even if it were to come off it would not pose any risk or damage as it is quite pliable. As you may notice I installed it with complete coverage tucked up against and under the bulb seal. Not worried about it coming off. I'll keep you posted.
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Originally Posted by
Avalanche325
Just my opinion, but many many of us have used truck bed liner to accomplish the same task. There are two things I don't like about the way you are doing it. 1. How is that stuff for water incursion? If it holds any water at all, especially around the edges, it is going to gain weight and could grow mold. 2. If a piece of that comes off at speed, it could either wrap up in your suspension causing damage or a wreck, or sling around and blow a fender right off the car, just like a tire losing its tread.
Spay glue just isn't that good with all the vibration, heat, cold and water. It is OK for holding carpet down, not gluing something to the ceiling. You will end up in the rain some day, no matter what you plan.
I feel bad saying it, but I think this is a bad idea.
If it comes off at speed it will just shred. There is zero chance of it causing a wreck or "blowing a fender off." All the edges are sealed and glued down with silicone, the surface is impervious to water. I saw that a number of people have used this material without issue. After watching a test review of all the bedliner products they appear to have very little impact protection (do a youtube search) so I didn't trust them doing the job of protecting the u/s from rocks. The material I used is 1/2" thick and when restrained at the edges its wedged in place I don't see it coming off. Once the glue cures its pretty tough. I haven't heard of carpet peeling off and it is exposed to direct sunlight. Even if it were to come off it would not pose any risk or damage as it is quite pliable. As you may notice I installed it with complete coverage tucked up against and under the bulb seal. Not worried about it coming off. I'll keep you posted.
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Administrator
I absolutely HATED getting that 4" shifter trim ring installed! The car was finished with carpet and trying to get my hands up and over the transmission and holding the nut in position while someone else put a bolt in from above was .... aAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGG!!!!!
FFR 5369 Pin Drive, IRS, Trigos, Torsen, Wilwoods, FMS BOSS 302 "B" cam , Mass-flo. CA SB100 (SPCN) Registered
Delivered 4/23/06. "Finished" 4/2012 (still not done!)
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I guess I’ll chime in with the many hours of sanding, filling, sanding, filling over and over again to get the body ready for paint. P.s. Dave next time use rivnuts lol.
Mk4, Moser M88 rear end, Eaton truetrak, Craft Racing 461 Windsor, MMR pro trans, Glenn’s 1,000 hp cobra fuel system and lots of other parts.
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On a roll
Leaks. I am not fond of leaks. I spend more f****** time trying to get leaks to stop than I care to consider. I already replaced my entire fuel system to get rid of leaks. I replaced the front brake line (crossing the x frame) to get rid of a leak in the right front. I have a leak in the oil pan that does not want to identify itself clearly (it would be nice to have a lift for this one), and I have a leak in the large power steering tank-to-pump line that won't go away (bad fitting, maybe?). Other than that, all is good.
Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount
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Senior Member
Registering the car. Nothing else even comes close to the anguish my friendly neighborhood DMV caused. Process is ill-defined, time consuming, expensive, and the elusive license plate doesn't even fit in the provided space (but that's another thread). To illustrate the depth of the cluelessness on the part of the DMV, here's where they sent me to get the car weighed. Car was 2400 lb not counting the 200 lb of sticky, gooey mud
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MKIV Roadster #8641
Complete Kit with IRS, Eaton Detroit Truetrac, 3.55 gears, Wilwood Brakes
Ford Racing Z427 w/ Pro-M Sequential Port EFI System
TKO 600 + McLeod Midshifter; Fast Freddie's Electro-Hydraulic power steering
Miller Customs Bodywork & Paint
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I hate the paint and bodywork......if I ever get it right I'll just quit...da Bat
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Originally Posted by
David Hodgkins
I absolutely HATED getting that 4" shifter trim ring installed! The car was finished with carpet and trying to get my hands up and over the transmission and holding the nut in position while someone else put a bolt in from above was .... aAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGG!!!!!
Nutserts!
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
RobCYoung
If it comes off at speed it will just shred. There is zero chance of it causing a wreck or "blowing a fender off."
I hope you are right and I am just being overly cautious, which I tend to be. The reason for my comments are that I have seen a not so large piece of tire tread come off on a Corvette at speed. The front fender was destroyed. I have also seen a fender liner (much lighter than your rubber mat) come off of a production car and wind up in between the wheel and suspension causing some damage. It jerked the wheel pretty hard according to the driver and damaged the brake line. I have a couple carpet edges that are loose right now and pretty much everyone that I know directly has dashboard cover edges that they have to periodically glue down. Again, none of that is hanging upside down in a water spray area. Yes, low percentage that the tire would grab it and sling it around, but not zero chance. I think you are underestimating what speed can do when something gets loose. Tires at 80mph are doing somewhere around 1000rpm.
OK, enough side tracking. I built a custom heater plenum to keep the fan and everything behind the dash. It fit. But would make any behind dash maintenance pretty much impossible. Then I turned the fan on and it sounded like a tornado in the dash. In the trash the whole thing went. Complete do over.
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Senior Member
Header bolts. I spent a couple of days on just 1 bolt.
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Senior Member
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Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
Replacing My Engine Block Mentally Beat The Crap Out Of Me!
https://youtu.be/-nVDzIjSjh8
Last edited by GoDadGo; 05-15-2019 at 09:17 AM.
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Great thread topic!!
Hmm. Right now I am in the polishing stages of my self done first ever paint job. I would say any task I had to do more than once because I didn't know what I was doing the first time is my worst. I had to re-clear because I did not heed the warning about spraying clear in the evening or bug bombing my spray booth the night before, now after polishing, I realize I need to go back to compounding because some of my 2500 scratch is still present.
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Originally Posted by
Jdav
Header bolts. I spent a couple of days on just 1 bolt.
I'll second that one! I had to install and remove headers multiple times.
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Installing the Windshield. Scary as Heck trying not to crack it while putting the "hopefully" short enough screws into a brass strip without coming in contact with the glass. Trimming the body so the posts would fit, getting the angle right, marking the posts, taking it back out to drill, reinstalling. And then getting the shims to stay in place during the install, and I didn't tap the post, so the bolts enjoyed challenging my patience. tight places for my big hands, and akward reach for big wrenches.
It took patience, and an attitude that "you can do it". But not my favorite part of the build.
Dave
Mk 3.1 - #6882 - 5.0L 302 - FiTech EFI - 3-Link - 3.08 Ratio - 15" Wheels
Greenhorn and doing the best I can
My photos are at:
My Flickr acct
Videos are at:
YouTube Videos
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Senior Member
In response to your original post, I, personally, used the bed liner stuff to protect my [inner] fenders from rocks and other road debris.
Admittedly, I did put several layers where the wheels are, only one coat everywhere else.
Been there 17 years now with no issues at all - no "star marks" in the paint, no cracks in the bed liner surface . . .
Just my 2¢
FWIW, and not knowing what your total setup is (engine, trans, rear suspension) your car seems heavy at 2400#. My MKII with a 5.0, T5 and a 3-link rear with a half tank of gas weighs 2163 (I wasn't in it).
Must be all that extra undercar "mud" protection . . . Ha
Doc
Last edited by Big Blocker; 05-15-2019 at 10:51 AM.
FFR3712K (MKII) in Lost Wages Nevada.
5.0 w/tubular GT-40 EFI, E303 cam, Custom 4 into 4 headers, T5, 3-Link 3.73 rear. Full F5 tubular suspension. Drop Butt mod, Dash forward mod, custom foot box air vents, custom turn signal system. 13" PBR brakes, Fiero E-Brake mod, Flaming River 18:1 rack w/ F5 bump steer kit on Breeze bushings. 17" Chrome Cobra "R's" w/ 275 fronts and 315 rears. MKIV seats. FORD Royal Blue w/ Arctic White stripes.
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Senior Member
Can I add Saving the $$$ bank to get started? My dedicated Roadster savings account took a hit when my Wife decided to remodel the kitchen. the Roadster fund covered the "unexpected" overages. Someday soon I am going to return the favor on her next project savings account. Yes Honey we need all that ... Chrome, HP, Powder coat, Paint. and just about every option that doesn't come in the complete kit...
Chris aka Gromit.
I will do a PS once I actually get started. right now I fear it will be finding the time to work on the project...
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Senior Member
Installing the VPM rear sway bar on a nearly finished car with IRS. That took a while with lots of contortions.
FFR6682 - received 7/30/08 - MK 3.1 complete kit, Forte built Ford Racing BOSS 427W(475HP/500lbs), TKO600, Power steering, Power Brakes, Hydraulic Clutch, VPM Front/Rear sway bars, Bump steer kit, SAI mod, 13"Front/11.65"Rear Mustang Cobra rotors w/calipers, NITTO NT05s - 255/40R17-Front, 315/35R17-rear,3.55 IRS.
Visit my Blog:
http://crawleyscobra.wordpress.com
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Jdav
Header bolts. I spent a couple of days on just 1 bolt.
Agreed. I lost knuckles too on that task.
Build 1: Mk4 Complete Kit #9312 Ordered 1/27/18, Delivered 3/24/18, CA SB100 Registered 9/11/19 - Gen 2 Coyote TKO600, IRS, Power Steering, Wilwood Brakes, 17" Halibrand.
Build 2: Gen3 Coupe Complete Kit #309 Ordered 1/25/21, Delivered 6/9/21 - BluePrint GM 427 LS T56, IRS, AC, Power Steering.
Album Here
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Three significant flaws in my Gen 2 coupe amount to "not my favorite task." The first was that the halo bars on the roll cage were about 1.5" too high where they meet the main hoop. They hit the fiberglass body, at each side, and prevented the body from sitting flat on the door sills. So, the halo bars had to be cut free at the main hoop, pulled down with a come-along and an oxy-acetylene torch, and welded back in place - otherwise the body wouldn't fit right, and the halo bars would have eventually abraded their way through the roof. The second was the driver's side header overlapped the footbox about 1/4", even with the engine all the way forward, requiring significant re-fabrication of that header. The third was the connector pieces on the side pipes, which slip over the headers. The connectors were too small by about .040. After breaking 2 exhaust pipe expanders and a lot of oxy-acetylene, I finally ran out of patience, and pipe expanders, and was running low on compressed oxygen, so I cut them off, and welded on connectors that actually slid onto the headers. It's not so much that any of the work was all that hard, but rather the fact that I never should have had to engage in serious re-fabrication of roll cage and exhaust in the first place.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
David Hodgkins
I absolutely HATED getting that 4" shifter trim ring installed! The car was finished with carpet and trying to get my hands up and over the transmission and holding the nut in position while someone else put a bolt in from above was .... aAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGG!!!!!
Speed nuts and an SS sheet metal screw
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...3198/100337634
FFR MkII, 408W, Tremec TKO 500, 2015 IRS, DA QA1s, Forte front bar, APE hardtop.
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Originally Posted by
Avalanche325
I hope you are right and I am just being overly cautious, which I tend to be. The reason for my comments are that I have seen a not so large piece of tire tread come off on a Corvette at speed. The front fender was destroyed. I have also seen a fender liner (much lighter than your rubber mat) come off of a production car and wind up in between the wheel and suspension causing some damage. It jerked the wheel pretty hard according to the driver and damaged the brake line. I have a couple carpet edges that are loose right now and pretty much everyone that I know directly has dashboard cover edges that they have to periodically glue down. Again, none of that is hanging upside down in a water spray area. Yes, low percentage that the tire would grab it and sling it around, but not zero chance. I think you are underestimating what speed can do when something gets loose. Tires at 80mph are doing somewhere around 1000rpm.
OK, enough side tracking. I built a custom heater plenum to keep the fan and everything behind the dash. It fit. But would make any behind dash maintenance pretty much impossible. Then I turned the fan on and it sounded like a tornado in the dash. In the trash the whole thing went. Complete do over.
Well the wheel wells are done now so kind of a moot point as I;m not going to rip it all out. I'll keep an eye on it & see if anything starts to show signs of coming loose. We have a lot of gravel on our roads and I 'm convinced Herculiner et al. is a messy waste of money. If I have issues with it delaminating I will definitely post about it so no-one else goes that route. I think it is however the best solution for rock chips outside of Alex's ABS liners.
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Senior Member
Trying to clean up all of the metal shavings from drilling a thousand holes so they would not be tracked into the house
#8475 Complete Kit Delivered Nov 2014, started Nov 2015, Street Legal Apr 2016, Paint and Interior Completed Aug 2017, 390 BBF, March accessory kit, MSD Atomic EFI and Ready to run, TKO 500 with MidShift kit, hooker headers, 3 link, track lock with 3.55, sway bars, power steering, wipers, heater
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Senior Member
Fitting a new radiator and later heat to a alrerdy built/ bought car.
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Senior Member
The most annoying thing was my brand new Tremec TKO600 that leaked. I finally got the "opportunity" to fix it when I replaced the synchros and 3rd gear. Not a drop since. But, I will have to say that I enjoyed doing a transmission rebuild.
I am in the middle of replacing my Wilwood pedal box. I had the original offset cable quadrant. That, combined with a heavy clutch, ovalized the holes in the base plate that holds the pedals. Replacing the pedal box is a challenge to say the least. You have to assemble the whole thing in place. Lots of hours with my head in the footbox and feet on the roll bar.
I like working on the car either way.
Last edited by Avalanche325; 05-16-2019 at 12:21 PM.
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Senior Member
The worst task was trying to find proper, and clear instructions, in the FFR build manual..
.The manual for my MK3.1 was a total joke. All those kits still sitting uncompleted in someones garage...the manual is the #1 reason for that.
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My car car is not completed yet. Ive done all i could until the body comes back from paint. So far everything was enjoyable. Albeit some projects better than others. So far the only disappointment is my carpet install. Only because i attempted to sew on edging at the seems. The straight runs are good its the radaii that needs improvement. I might farm out a section on the trans tunnel to get that looking better.
build thread:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...-USRRC-vspeeds
Build School: July 14-16, 2017
Kit purchased: July 25, 2017
Kit delivered: September 13, 2017
First Start: December 22, 2018
Body painted and kit completed and drivable: July 2019 (but still not done)
CA SB100 Registration: January 2020
Mk4 - 289 USRRC Roadster kit, Roush 427SR with Schneider Racing custom camshaft, Fitech EFI, TKO600 (.64-5th gear), 15" wheels, stock brake calipers, under car exhaust with Spintech 7000 muffler, no roll bar, Russ Thompson turn signal, removable steering wheel, and many other small upgrades and modifications
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One year update on foam rubber fender liner using 3M 77. I checked the bond every week throughout this summer and can report that nothing has move with no hint of delamination even after sitting in the hot sun. So the key I think is a good bond and sealing all edges with black silicone which helps lock everything in place when pressed up into the wheel wells.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Al_C
Leaks. I am not fond of leaks. I spend more f****** time trying to get leaks to stop than I care to consider. I already replaced my entire fuel system to get rid of leaks. I replaced the front brake line (crossing the x frame) to get rid of a leak in the right front. I have a leak in the oil pan that does not want to identify itself clearly (it would be nice to have a lift for this one), and I have a leak in the large power steering tank-to-pump line that won't go away (bad fitting, maybe?). Other than that, all is good.
YUP - tracing down leaks as the seasons change. Just when I think I’m good, something else dribbles...
Chris
Generation 3 Type 65 Daytona Coupe Complete Kit #151885 received May 6, 2022. Gen 3 Coyote, IRS, Tremec TKX, American Powertrain hydraulic throwout bearing & Wilwood brakes.
MK4 Basic Kit #7404, 347 EFI - Pro M Racing ECM, 30# injectors, 70 mm throttle body, 80 mm MAF, Edelbrock Performer aluminum heads & RPM II intake, all new G-Force T5, 3:55 gears, Pro 5.0 shifter, 3-link, carbon fiber dash/custom Speedhut gauges and paint by Da Bat.
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Originally Posted by
cgundermann
YUP - tracing down leaks as the seasons change. Just when I think I’m good, something else dribbles...
Chris
Are you talking about your car or … Oh never mind.
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